Warner Celebrates 40 Years of Woodstock

Warner Home Video plans to release a 40th anniversary ultimate collectors edition DVD and Blu-ray Disc of the Oscar-winning original Woodstock concert film Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music July 28, 2009. The title also will be available as a standalone DVD.

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music – Ultimate Collectors Edition will include several never-before-released festival performances in their entirety. The film will have been in an 18-month moratorium when it is released.

The release was announced just before the 39th anniversary of the seminal rock show that took place Aug. 15, 1969.

“The music, artists and spirit of Woodstock resonate as strongly today as in 1969,” said Jeff Baker, Warner's EVP and GM of theatrical catalog. “We're certain the film will strike a chord with those who remember, and may have even attended, Woodstock, but we also believe the music — some in extended cuts — will appeal to today's youth generation who not only love rock music but are equally as committed now to the values surrounding Woodstock, like spirit of community, caring for the environment and idealistic change.

“Additionally, since we think of the ultimate collector's edition as our ‘signature dish,' if you will, we're very excited that we'll be giving the same attention to this iconic film as we have to our other top-tier titles such as ‘Harry Potter,' Blade Runner, JFK and the upcoming Casablanca and A Christmas Story.”

The included four-hour director's cut has been remastered from the film's original elements, with supervision by director Michael Wadleigh. Original Woodstock chief engineer Eddie Kramer is overseeing the 5.1 audio mix of newly included footage.

The restored and remastered film will include previously unreleased full performances by The Who, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat, Joan Baez, Country Joe McDonald and Country Joe and the Fish, with more to be announced. Special features will include new perspectives from musicians and celebrities on the cultural significance of Woodstock.

Additional special features will include filmmaker commentary; replicas of handwritten notes from festival-goers; a 40-minute documentary film by Robert Kline called “The '60s and the Woodstock Generation,” adapted from his book Children of the 60s; studio archive letters and other collectible items.

A multimillion dollar marketing campaign will include print, TV, online and viral advertising, with major promotional tie-ins.

“Woodstock was more than just a concert; it was an event. It was a time for our generation to speak up and let everyone know we had a voice,” said musician and Woodstock alumni David Crosby. “Whether you were there or are discovering the film for the first time, it still holds up 40 years later and now will speak to a whole new generation.”